Similarities Between The World On Turtle's Back And The Iroquois

In the creation myth “The World on Turtle’s Back” the Iroquois Native Americans describe their beliefs about the creation of the world and humanity. The myth exhibits many archetypal settings and greatly resembles the story of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis. The differences between the two creation stories’ archetypal settings, however, illustrate the greatest difference between the two cultures; monotheism and polytheism. Both “The World on Turtle’s Back” and the Book of Genesis involve a tree that connects heaven to earth. In the Iroquois story, it is the “Great Tree… [that] had grown there forever…. The tree was not supposed to be marked or mutilated by any of the beings who dwelt in the Sky-World. It was a sacred tree that stood …show more content…
In the Iroquois creation myth, the right-handed twin and the left-handed twin are opposite gods that help bring balance into the world. The myth says, “[t]he right-handed twin made the deer, and the left-handed twin made the mountain lion which kills the deer…. And the right-handed twin made berries and fruits… The left-handed twin made briars and poison ivy” (Turtle’s Back 119-130). The Iroquois use the twins to show the balance each brings to the world, neither being evil but opposites. In Genesis, Cain resents his brother Abel because of the favor he has received with God. Because of his jealousy, Cain lures Abel out into the field and “[w]hen they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him” (Gen. 4.8). In the Book of Genesis, the animosity Cain has for his brother Abel arises out of envy towards him. The Iroquois use the right-handed and left-handed twins to demonstrate how their gods bring order and balance to the world through their opposition. Genesis, however, focuses on how Adam and Eve’s original violation of God’s trust compound with each generation, even to the point of murder because of